


listen as the crowd would sing (now the old king is dead! long live the king!)

by MarvelousAvengfulSlytherin



Series: Descendants AUs [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Angst galore, Ben & Audrey Rose Friendship (Disney: Descendants), Ben Isn't All Evil (He's More Like Rumplestiltskin from OUAT), Gen, My Son Ben Is Ready to Tear This Bitch Called Auradon Apart, United States of Auradon (Disney) Is Not Perfect, ben needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25255825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelousAvengfulSlytherin/pseuds/MarvelousAvengfulSlytherin
Summary: "You'll come with me?" He sounds in charge and not under the spell of the staff that Audrey realizes how much anger Ben has kept up over the past two years. Justifiable anger, she will add.She stands tall, head tilted a bit back. Shoulders squared like the lessons her grandmother drilled into her many years ago filling her head with nonsense over being Queen. She would have been Queen of Auradon but now she was a girl seeing her dear friend and ex-boyfriend fall into darkness. He is drowning in it-no, that is not it. This is not drowning. He is shrouded in it and wearing it better than any other VK could have.(Better than Mal could have.)"Of course I'm coming with you," She says, hands on her hips. "I'm your friend, Ben. I'll always be there, remember?"And Ben relaxes and isn't it sad? That the boy who believed in the VKs now is the one about to destroy everything? Not really destroy in his mind, more of a rebirth. Auradon will be rebirthed, whether it liked to be or not.The VK's were his friends, yes but ultimately they were Mal's friends first and his second. Audrey was his friend first.
Relationships: Ben & Audrey Rose (Disney: Descendants)
Series: Descendants AUs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878787
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	listen as the crowd would sing (now the old king is dead! long live the king!)

**Author's Note:**

> This piece of one-shot was brought to you by me rewatching OUAT and thinking: What If Ben turned Evil but Justifiably??? More stories on this weird but cool short series coming soon??? 
> 
> Title is from Viva La Vida by One Republic

"What should we do Mal?"

 _Not Ben._ No, it is _Mal_ who comes up with the decision to close the barrier, and Ben's heart shatters. He sees absolutely no empathy in her green eyes and something inside him shatters. Not just his heart, no. It boils in his stomach that his parents have chosen to follow a girl with no empathy in her eyes and soul to destroy what he had cultivated for the past two years. Just because Hades tried to escape. 

Something about Hades trying to leave bothered him. Mal reminded him that Hades was a villain as if Ben had no idea. _He knew._ He knew that something was not adding up. He knew in his heart that Mal and his love for her were dwindling for so long ever since the day in the lake. He had tried to cling to it like a child clinging to its mother for dear life in a crowded area but he knew sooner or later he would get trampled by the crowd if he did not let go. 

Ben decided to let go.

* * *

He broke up with Mal and called off the engagement the exact same day. 

Mal begged him, pleaded with him to reconsider but he stood firm even as she cried. Tears shone in her green eyes and they would have once swayed him but now did nothing to him. 

Everyone in Auradon is in a state of shock over the news of the famous couple. He ignores the calls that are coming from Jay, Carlos, and Evie. His parents want to know what made him throw away such a promising love, a true love and he wants to laugh. Laugh until his throat hurts. 

(Or maybe it isn't laughter that wants to escape. Maybe it is a scream that has been building up ready to render the people listening absolutely deaf?)

His parents gently say, "Reconsider, son."

"No," Is his response.

* * *

He wonders if he would ever find love. He wonders if he is cursed to be drugged to have false love running in his system for years to come.

Audrey, Mal, and Uma. 

He thinks about Uma more and more as days pass. Wondering if she is out there if she has heard the news of the break-up and laughing at Mal's misery. His mind then turns to Evie. She had seemed quiet-much more quiet than he had ever known Evie. She looked stressed as if something was weighing her down. Ben wanted to reach out to her but with the awkwardness surrounding Ben and Mal's break-up, he could feel the VKs pull away from him. He wanted Evie with him again, to hear her laugh and see her blue hair.

Ben does not dwell on these thoughts for long. 

(But he wants to _lovelovelovelovelove_ someone so much. He wants to truly love someone but he does not know if he can truly see what is real and what is falsely brought to his eyes without breaking his heart and soul once more. He does not want to end up the fool as he had seen himself do time and time again. He is a King, he must know better. He will know better.)

You'll see, Auradon. 

* * *

Anger eats at him as he walks alone at night to the museum. 

Anger swallows him as the staff curls around his ears and mind with magic. He is clear-headed when the staff is in front of him. But instead of taking the staff, he takes the wand.

* * *

"You'll come with me?" He sounds in charge and not under the spell of the staff that Audrey realizes how much anger Ben has kept up over the past two years. Justifiable anger, she will add.

She stands tall, head tilted a bit back. Shoulders squared like the lessons her grandmother drilled into her many years ago filling her head with nonsense over being Queen. She would have been Queen of Auradon but now she was a girl seeing her dear friend and ex-boyfriend fall into darkness. He is drowning in it-no, that is not it. This is not drowning. He is shrouded in it and wearing it better than any other VK could have. 

(Better than Mal could have.)

"Of course I'm coming with you," She says, hands on her hips. "I'm your friend, Ben. I'll always be there, remember?"

And Ben relaxes and isn't it sad? That the boy who believed in the VKs now is the one about to destroy everything? Not really destroy in his mind, more of a rebirth. Auradon will be rebirthed, whether it liked to be or not.

The VK's were his friends, yes but ultimately they were Mal's friends first and his second. Audrey was his friend first. With that, Audrey takes Ben's hand. As they leave in a cloud of blue smoke all Audrey could think was this.

Oh, Ben what have we done to you?

_Oh, Ben what has Auradon done to you?_


End file.
